Ashanti stalker found guilty

A man accused of stalking R&B star Ashanti has been found guilty by a New York jury.

Devar Hurd faced a charge of felony second degree stalking, following a 2013 case, which ended in a mistrial in 2014 after a juror fell sick.

He was convicted of nine counts, including criminal contempt and harassment, in October (15), but the jury was deadlocked on the felony stalking charge, prompting the singer to head back to court to face the suspect this week (begs14Mar16).

Hurd, who represented himself during the trial, insisted the lewd text and Twitter messages he had bombarded Ashanti with did not amount to felony stalking, while he also maintained he had had a romantic fling with the singer - claims she vehemently denied.

The case was handed over to the jury on Thursday (17Mar16), and on Friday (18Mar16) jurors returned a guilty verdict.

Hurd, who has been in jail since his original 2013 arrest, is now facing up to four additional years behind bars when he returns to court for sentencing on 31 March (16), reports the New York Daily News.

He was previously ordered to serve two years in jail in 2009 after he was convicted of stalking and aggravated harassment.